1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable lighting apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a flashlight, that has a support member between a cap and a battery housing.
2. Background Art
In the past, various types of flashlights have been used to provide a portable source of illumination. Conventional flashlights typically include a source of power, such as a battery, an electric lamp, a cylindrical casing, a switch and reflective surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,936, issued to Sato, entitled xe2x80x9cPortable Lighting Devicexe2x80x9d relates to a flashlight device with a battery casing, a miniature lamp mounted near the end of the battery casing and a shielding plate arranged at a position separated from the miniature lamp in an axial direction of the battery casing. The shielding plate is made of a semi-transparent material and contains a light storing material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,777, issued to McDermott, entitled xe2x80x9cFlashlightxe2x80x9d relates to a flashlight powered with an oblong power supply. The flashlight is designed to be compact and watertight and is protected against the entrance of moisture with a single O-ring seal. An ON-OFF switch uses a mechanism independent of the location of the power supply so that power supply movement will not cause inadvertent energizing of the lamp or hazardous sparks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,819, issued to Bamber et al., entitled xe2x80x9cFlashlightxe2x80x9d relates to a modular flashlight formed from three parts that are screwed together. The three parts are a battery housing, a switch housing and a head. An O-ring at each screw connection provides a substantially watertight seal. A bulb is mounted in the switch housing and a reflector is mounted in the head. Rotation of the head relative to the switch housing varies the focus of the light reflected by the light by the reflector. The head can be removed from the switch housing so that the bulb can provide illumination.
Flashlight bulbs have a limited operational life. Once the bulb fails, the flashlight is non-operational until the bulb is replaced. Since flashlights are portable, and are carried in a user""s hand, the bulbs are subject to failure, which can occur from exceeding the operational life of the bulb, or by shock to the bulb by dropping the flashlight, or other impact. When flashlights are used for camping or other outdoor activities, bulb failure can be extremely troublesome since the user may be far from a location that sells replacement bulbs.
Therefore, what is needed is a new and improved flashlight design that provides a support member between a battery housing and a cap portion.
One embodiment of the present invention is a portable flashlight apparatus that includes an elongated battery housing member that holds one or more batteries. A switch, for turning on and off a bulb, is held by the elongated battery housing member, and a supporting member is connected to a proximal end of the elongated battery housing member to provide electrical connections for the bulb.
Connection means, such as one or more screws, physically connect the supporting member to the elongated battery housing. A cap member, which is mounted to the supporting member, has a reflective surface and a transparent lens. A bulb is held in position between the supporting member and the cap.
A second embodiment of the present invention is a flashlight that includes a supporting member, which holds a first bulb and a second bulb. The first bulb is electrically connected to a power source. The second bulb is mounted in a holder and serves as a spare. A screw secures the holder to the supporting member and also secures the supporting member to a body member of the flashlight. Additional screws are used for physically connecting the supporting member to the body member. The supporting member also has one or more leg portions that add additional support for the supporting member.